Yingluck denies coup rumours

January 08, 2014 00:00
By The Nation

Says she has faith in commanders and that they will do their duty

Caretaker Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra yesterday rejected rumours that she had struck a deal with the military to conduct a coup in an effort to pave the way for reforms within a year before elections.

“Who consulted whom? I don’t think so. There are too many rumours. May I ask the public to listen to news and regard rumours with caution,” she told reporters when asked if she had made such a deal with military commanders.

Nobody intends to stage a military coup to solve the current political conflict, she reiterated.

“A coup is not good. We have experienced many and they never helped solve problems. In many countries, such coups have ended in violence, and hence created more problems,” she said, noting that negotiations to end the problem peacefully were perhaps the best step to take.

“As defence minister, I believe that military commanders would rather consider an option that can solve problems for the long run, rather than using a method that is not acceptable to the international community,” she said.

When asked if she still had confidence in the commanders, Yingluck said that judging from what they had said earlier, it was clear that the military knew its duty.

“I believe all officers will perform their duty. We should also respect His Majesty’s advice that we should all know our duties and learn to live together peacefully,” she said. “All parties have to come together and stop all our fighting and violence. The government is glad to cooperate to restore peace.”

When asked if she, as defence minister, knew how the military commanders felt, Yingluck said: “I cannot keep track of other people’s feelings, but have confidence that everybody knows their duties and that they will do their best for national interest in the long run.”

Yingluck yesterday convened a Cabinet meeting at the Army Club to assess the situation for the planned Bangkok shutdown on Monday. She has instructed all agencies to do their jobs on that day as well as to coordinate with security officials so government operations can continue normally.

The government is planning to go into defensive mode to maintain law and order, so everything continues as smoothly as possible with minimum impact to the people, she said.

Caretaker Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra yesterday rejected rumours that she had struck a deal with the military to conduct a coup in an effort to pave the way for reforms within a year before elections.

“Who consulted whom? I don’t think so. There are too many rumours. May I ask the public to listen to news and regard rumours with caution,” she told reporters when asked if she had made such a deal with military commanders.

Nobody intends to stage a military coup to solve the current political conflict, she reiterated.

“A coup is not good. We have experienced many and they never helped solve problems. In many countries, such coups have ended in violence, and hence created more problems,” she said, noting that negotiations to end the problem peacefully were perhaps the best step to take.

“As defence minister, I believe that military commanders would rather consider an option that can solve problems for the long run, rather than using a method that is not acceptable to the international community,” she said.

When asked if she still had confidence in the commanders, Yingluck said that judging from what they had said earlier, it was clear that the military knew its duty.

“I believe all officers will perform their duty. We should also respect His Majesty’s advice that we should all know our duties and learn to live together peacefully,” she said. “All parties have to come together and stop all our fighting and violence. The government is glad to cooperate to restore peace.”

When asked if she, as defence minister, knew how the military commanders felt, Yingluck said: “I cannot keep track of other people’s feelings, but have confidence that everybody knows their duties and that they will do their best for national interest in the long run.”

Yingluck yesterday convened a Cabinet meeting at the Army Club to assess the situation for the planned Bangkok shutdown on Monday. She has instructed all agencies to do their jobs on that day as well as to coordinate with security officials so government operations can continue normally.

The government is planning to go into defensive mode to maintain law and order, so everything continues as smoothly as possible with minimum impact to the people, she said.